Easing weather conditions reduce bushfire threat north of Sydney

A major bushfire in the New South Wales’ Hunter region has been downgraded to a 'Watch and Act' level, while the Mount Kingiman and Tabulam fires are down to 'Advice' level.

North of Sydney, the fire in the Salt Ash area near Port Stephens had increased in strength due to strong wind gusts but thanks to easing weather conditions the threat level to the region was reduced just after 11pm.

Lemon Tree Passage Road is currently being assessed prior to being reopened. However, NSW Police are escorting people out of the area while this assessment is completed, the NSW Rural Fire Service advises.

On bushfire in New South Wales remains at an 'emergency' warning level. (Supplied)The NSW Far North Coast fire at Tabulum and the Salt Ash Shoalhaven fires both intensified due to strong winds. (9NEWS)

There is also a note to residents in the region that they may see increased fire activity as firefighters will continuing backburning operations as conditions allow.

While there has been no reported damage to property from the fire, there has been a disruption to power and phones in the area.

An earlier ‘Emergency’ fire at Woodstock in the Mount Kingiman area, near Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast, burnt out of control and tore through more than 4000 hectares of land.

The NSW Rural Fire Service earlier upgraded the fire's warning level and warned residents in the area that strong winds have affected the fireground.

After 6pm, the fire was downgraded to an 'Advice' level alert as firefighters gained the upper hand and managed to slow its spread.

Meanwhile, a third bushfire burning around the town of Tabulam, west of Ballina on the NSW Far North Coast, has also been downgraded to an ‘Advice’ level after sitting at an ‘Emergency’ level throughout the day.

The fire crossed the Clarence River, forced the closure of the Bruxner Highway at the Tabulam Bridge.

Strong smoke and embers clouded the skies above each of the bushfires as they tore through hectares of land. (Supplied)Fire authorities have urged residents to enact their bushfire survival plans. (Supplied)

The NSW RFS has warned of “Very High” fire dangers tomorrow for the Greater Sydney, North Coast, Northern Slopes, New England and Far North Coast regions. A total fire ban remains in place.

Wind speeds of up to 40km/h are also expected to continue tomorrow with areas in northern NSW expected to see possible speeds higher than that.

Firefighters are also on the scene at both fires attempting to contain the blaze and are prepared to protect property. (Supplied)

Inspector Ben Shepherd from the NSW RFS earlier told the TODAY Show that residents should be prepared for the threat of a quickly-moving blaze.

“Have that discussion this morning about what you’ll do in the event that a fire actually threatens,” he said.

“Also, do some preparation around your property, because we’ve seen over the last week that fires can start quickly and spread rapidly and impact on homes with little or no warning.”

New South Wales Rural Fire Service firefighters are battling blazes in seven regions across the state today. (AAP)Wind speeds in excess of 45km/h are expected to make containment efforts more difficult as firefighters battle up to 75 blazes. (Nine)

Backburning operations have been undertaken over recent days to limit the threat to homes after fires destroyed two homes and 16 buildings in the state’s south-west this week.

Four of the largest fires have all been downgraded to an ‘Advice’ warning level, but remain burning.

A bushfire in Ramornie has burnt around 350 hectares of land while another in Pinkett has torn through more than 1500 hectares.

While up to 35 of the fires remain out of control, the five biggest concerns have been downgraded to an 'Advice' warning level. (AAP)Firefighters have rushed to backburn where they can and consolidate containment lines ahead of this weekend, knowing the strong winds were on the way. (AAP)

The fire burning at Bemboka in the Bega Valley has burnt over 4000 hectares and the Ellangowan bushfire has affected almost 2000 hectares of land.

The increased containment efforts come as a NSW RFS contracted waterbombing helicopter pilot died yesterday when his aircraft crashed while fighting fires on the NSW south coast.

The charter aircraft, contracted from Sydney Helicopters, is believed to have gone down when its red waterbombing bucket became snagged in the branches of a tree at Woodstock, near the Kingiman fire.

The pilot, Allan Tull, was the only person on board at the time of the incident and was killed in the crash.

The NSW RFS is urging residents in affected areas to prepare their properties and discuss possible plans of action if a fire does threaten their home. (AAP)

Mr Tull has been remembered as an experienced and well-know pilot who had around 8000 hours of total flying time and 3000 hours of firefighting work in a helicopter.

"This is a deep tragedy,” NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said of the incident last night.

“This is really, really hurting a lot the RFS family, the firefighting family and the aerial community of NSW who work so closely together to try and save and protect the people of NSW."

The efforts come as a contracted NSW RFS waterbombing helicopter pilot died yesterday in a tragic crash. (9NEWS)Allan Tull was killed when his aircraft is believed to have become tangled in trees, causing it to plummet to the ground. (Supplied)

The cause of the crash is being internally investigated by the NSW RFS.